The Wichita State men’s baseball team finished its first season with new head coach Todd Butler before it wanted to.

The Shockers faced a rocky season full of suspensions and injuries without getting the winning streak many of the fans craved.

“I love this team,” WSU catcher Tyler Baker said. “Everybody’s a competitor. We just didn’t perform like we should have.”

WSU lost its first game in the Missouri Valley Tournament in Indiana last weekend, placing them in the losers’ bracket.

However, the team rallied in that bracket against Evansville with a back and forth battle, finally winning 8-6 in the 9th inning.

The Shockers won again in extra innings against Southern Illinois, but lost to Illinois State to end the season with 31-28 record.

WSU will lose eight seniors who started their careers at WSU under former coach Gene Stephenson.

As players depart, so does Stephenson’s influence. A larger portion of the team remains in Butler’s hands to mold.

Off-season recruiting is next on the team’s agenda. First team All-American junior Casey Gillaspie is likely a draft prospect for Butler as well and it is uncertain as to whether he will return to the Shockers.

Four years have passed since WSU has dominated the Missouri Valley with a conference title. Butler said he hopes to put in the work to bring back the reputation that put fear into the competition.

 “There’s no mystique right now,” he said. “It’s been gone for years. It takes a tremendous amount of effort and attitude and work to get that back. That doesn’t come easy.”